DH and I work FT and have 2 dc, we live a normal life and yet feel pushed all the time in terms of what we can and can't afford. There is little money for extra's yet we seem to work as much as we can. Of course IANBU but wonder how many others feel this squeeze
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FunnysInLaJardin ·
17/05/2013 22:32
craving 
there you are. redundancy is shit. I was made redundant 4 years ago and I still have the ghost of it haunting me. Sorry about your poor DH
OP posts:
takeaway2 ·
18/05/2013 06:50
Yes I think it's the bit that we are both supposedly in 'professional' jobs that makes it all so argh! Lots of postgrad qualifications between us. Dh made redundant twice in 4 years. First time, he got a job before he even had to leave which was great. But that job meant we had to get a second car (it was an hour away each way) and after two years of that we realized his pay has only paid for childcare and expenses (like lunch and petrol). Needed to pay for petrol every 4 days! Ridiculous.
So he's gone self employed. Obviously we can only do this because I'm employed. So can survive on my pay. But still it's a drastic cut to things. We rely on my income and his is considered bonus.
His practice is doing v well but it's a case of feast and famine. So difficult to plan I guess. So I'm paying for everything really... Mortgage, all bills, all clubs and activities (tennis, gym,swimming,etc). I know, we can cut them down but I'm trying to cut food shopping (switching to aldi) before that!! 
MiniTheMinx ·
18/05/2013 09:58
In the states economists are talking about the rise of the three income family, where the equivalent of two full time salaries are not enough to live on. 30 years ago one full-time professional salary was sufficient to keep a family.
Petrol costs are astronomical and effect the price of everything else. BP and Shell Price rigging since 2002 www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/14/bp-shell-oil-price-rigging
Housing costs are far too high, so although on average a third of income is spent on housing, that is no longer a third of one income but two, with the added costs of travel, conveniences like lunches, convenience foods, work clothes, childcare etc,..
The only winners in all this are employers, banks and the wealthy parasitic class of shareholders.
all round, we might end up eating them at this rate !
nothingbyhalves ·
18/05/2013 15:45
Dh works full time (60 miles away do huge petrol costs but no jobs closer) and pt. luckily gp have dt's twice a week and they go to crèche once a week. Without gp we would not cope money wise at all. It's still a struggle to get through month. Luxuries are a thing of the past. Clothes are bought cheaply, or second hand, nights out are a distant memory. Days out are simply walks in park or free museums. We do treat ourselves as a family to one bar meal out a month but in our local cheap sizzler pub. Before kids we had a lovely disposable income, would think nothing of weekends away, expensive meals out etc. but then dt's came along at same time as recession . No pay rise for 4 years and hike in prices. I do question how someone in my fairly highly paid profession can be so skint, but dt's are worth it. I try to think of it as a life style choice to make myself feel better 
amicissimma ·
18/05/2013 15:59
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